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The presence of New Mexico State always ups the Canadian content in the NCAA Tournament, and this year is no exception.

Under the direction of head coach Marvin Menzies and his associate head coach, Paul Weir, a Toronto native and former Iona Catholic and York University star point guard, the team won its third straight WAC tournament championship, this time by virtue of a 77-55 thumping of Idaho, holding that team to just 38% shooting.

That meant the Aggies get a third shot at making their mark at the tourney, starting Thursday, when the team takes on No. 4-seeded San Diego State in Spokane.

Standout guard Daniel Mullings has had a lot to do with all of his team’s success this season. Mullings, building on a strong summer with the Canadian Development team, moved from second team All-WAC to conference player of the year, averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals.

The do-everything guard isn’t necessarily playing noticeably better than he has in the past, just more people are paying attention.

“He obviously had a really good year last year, just went under the radar a little bit,” Weir told the Sun in a telephone interview Wednesday.

“From a playing perspective, what he gives us now is what he gave us when he first got here (though).

“He’s just a tremendous athlete with a great motor, with a relentless pursuit of the ball that makes plays at both ends of the floor.”

Mullings went undefeated in his final two high school seasons at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate in Scarborough.

Weir says Mullings excels in making plays in transition and in “being a real hawk off the ball” which generates a lot of turnovers.

That said, the Aggies prefer a more half-court, grind-it-out style of game, largely because of the presence of a second Canadian star, Sim Bhullar, the 7-foot-5, 355-pound mammoth centre from Brampton.

Bhullar has had 24-, 22- and 14-point games recently, after averaging 10.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks (fifth in the NCAA) on the season.

Bhullar battled through a mid-season injury to return and find his form, while his team readjusted to having his massive presence back in the lineup. He’s peaking at the right time, earning his second straight WAC Tournament MVP award.

“He’s coming along. Has had some really, really good stretches for us this year and is on a great stretch for us right now,” Weir said.

“He really got rolling towards the end of the year and in the conference tournament.”

A third Canadian, 6-foot-9 senior Renaldo Dixon, of Toronto, also plays an important role for the team. Dixon averages 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 25 minutes per game. But his contribution goes far beyond what he provides on the stat-sheet.

“He’s been a great leader for us. Starts, comes off the bench, plays a lot, plays a little, doesn’t really matter, he’s always been really even-keeled, really solid,” Weir said of Dixon.

“Especially for our younger guys, seeing a guy that has that lunch-pail mentality. Probably the most unselfish guy we’ve had since I’ve been here. Just a real team player and great person to have in your locker room on the court and off.”

New Mexico State is a close team with great camaraderie, but will be in tough against the Aztecs even if San Diego State’s Steve Fisher said he’s worried about the size of his opponent (6-foot-10, 265 pound Tshilidzi Nephawe complements Bhullar up front). The Aggies rank No. 9 in the entire NCAA in field goal percentage and rebound the ball well.

But the team fell by 20 to No. 4 Saint Louis last year and by 13 to a strong Indiana side the year before.

Weir is hoping experience will count. “For most of our guys, this is kind of a back-to-back trip and for some, it’s three in a row, so hopefully experience will help us out this time overall,” he said.

It’s going to come down to matchups though.

“(San Diego State) are a long, athletic, trapping team, which is not necessarily conducive to our style of play, which is moreso, use our size, get the ball inside, get to the free throw line, more of a half-court grind out game,” he said.

“It’s really just going to be two contrasting styles and which one will be able to impose their will over the other.”

Canadians make big impact on New Mexico State

The presence of New Mexico State always ups the Canadian content in the NCAA Tournament, and this year is no exception.

Under the direction of head coach Marvin Menzies and his associate head coach, Paul Weir, a Toronto native and former Iona Catholic and York University star point guard, the team won its third straight WAC tournament championship, this time by virtue of a 77-55 thumping of Idaho, holding that team to just 38% shooting.

That meant the Aggies get a third shot at making their mark at the tourney, starting Thursday, when the team takes on No. 4-seeded San Diego State in Spokane.

Standout guard Daniel Mullings has had a lot to do with all of his team’s success this season. Mullings, building on a strong summer with the Canadian Development team, moved from second team All-WAC to conference player of the year, averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals.

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